"It is clear that their intent was not racially motivated or racist. However, they now understand that their actions could be construed as racist, and the University does not tolerate such behavior," Chebator said. "They need to be addressed and educated about the content of the fliers. This is an educational, not a punitive process."

Rajwantie Sahai, AHANA Leadership Council (ALC) co-president and A&S '08, said that while at first glance she had thought the flier was a racial attack, upon further examination she didn't think the flier was racist.

"When I first saw the flier, I think it had shock value. I didn't bother scrolling down [the computer screen on which she viewed the scanned flier], I was so stuck on the headline. I just thought, 'Is this really happening at this time in the year?'" Sahai said. "So originally I did have a problem with the flier because I didn't really process at first what it was trying to say. It jarred me at first and scared me. Then I realized exactly what they were trying to point out."

Sahai viewed the fliers as primarily a commentary on service trips, as well as the culture and academic curriculum at BC. She said participants in the service trips often come from economically affluent backgrounds and take the wrong approach to the trips.

"I think the point was to make people think about service and what the term means. The point is to join with the community and against the injustices they face, not just go for a week or two and then come back, drink, and show off pictures of whatever young children you were having a good time with," Sahai said. "It was definitely an attack on the culture and climate at BC."

Sahai said that while she thought the flier was specifically targeting service groups and was not racist, it did point out a racial group and took a radical, abrasive approach to the issue.

"While I don't think the flier was racist or racially charged, I can understand how it would offend people at BC because it is intense and is a very extreme way of grabbing attention. If you throw out the term black, Latino, or any racial group, people automatically freeze up because they often see it as an attack," Sahai said. "But I think that it's a discussion that could have been raised a long time ago and is a discussion that needs to continue. Not only does it reflect on how students approach this action but also affects how the University can accommodate this kind of discussion about race theory itself."

Continued...

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